Falcons GM on draft-day trades: 'We are always open to talk about that'

Falcons GM on draft-day trades: 'We are always open to talk about that'

Since Thomas Dimitroff became general manager of the Atlanta Falcons, he has made a trade during the NFL draft every year.

His most famous move was in 2011, when he traded five picks to the Browns to move up in the first round in order to get wide receiver Julio Jones. That one has worked out well for Atlanta and not quite so much for Cleveland. Dimitroff also moved up eight spots in 2013 to get cornerback Desmond Trufant and nine spots in 2015 to land defensive tackle Grady Jarrett.

“We’ve been up in the 20s over the last 10 years here and there, but to be at 31, I think it’s all about patience. I also think there are opportunities. … Some of the teams with double picks or teams that have picks where they might want to move back, they are going to look at 31 and that potentially gives us an opportunity to be aggressive. … We have never been short of aggressiveness in our approach with the Falcons, so we are always open to talk about that.”

While moving up in the draft order is always an exciting proposition, especially in a deep class like this one, it might make more sense to trade down out of the first round this time.

Atlanta holds the No. 31 pick, which is an ideal spot for teams selecting in the top 10 that go for the best player available but are also in need of a quarterback. The Browns, 49ers and Bears are all short-handed at the position and might look to get back into the first round if they don’t fill the spot with their top picks.

Dimitroff has traded down a couple of times in the past as well, so he’s open to this idea too. It’s only a question of the right offer presenting itself.